Quincy, Braintree part of new Boston-area biotech 'corridor'

Several mayors are teaming up to try to expand the region's life sciences supercluster in Boston and Cambridge, one of the nation's fastest-growing job sectors, into Quincy and Braintree.

Several mayors are teaming up to try to expand the region’s life sciences supercluster in Boston and Cambridge, one of the nation’s fastest-growing job sectors, into Quincy and Braintree.

Mayors Thomas Koch of Quincy and Joseph Sullivan of Braintree were scheduled to join mayors Martin Walsh of Boston, David Maher of Cambridge and Joseph Curtatone of Somerville on Tuesday morning to announce the creation of a new regional initiative called the Life Sciences Corridor.

Government and industry leaders, during an event held at Boston’s Museum of Science, said the corridor’s goal is to bring more life sciences and biotechnology jobs to communities like Quincy, Braintree and Somerville that are linked to the MBTA’s Red Line.

“When we try to recruit companies to come to Massachusetts, it’s great to have the entire region working as a team,” Robert Coughlin, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, said Monday. “I think this is the first time that all the leaders from these cities have gotten together to collectively show and sell their resources.”

Quincy has already made efforts to grow its life-sciences industry. It has joined Boston and Cambridge the past three years to represent the state at the Biotechnology Industry Organization International Conference.

Last summer, Quincy College opened a brand new 1,600-square-foot laboratory as part of its new biotechnology and compliance program. Also last summer, the Quincy Center for Innovation, a incubator for startup companies, opened in Wollaston.

Koch said the city has plenty of available spaces in places such as Crown Colony Drive and the shipyard in which companies can open, and he hopes his plans for a redeveloped Quincy Center will add attractive new office space.

He said partnering with other Red Line communities will improve Quincy’s visibility and reputation on a global scale. In the past, Quincy and Braintree have had to award special tax breaks to their largest biotech companies, Boston Scientific in Quincy and Haemonetics in Braintree, in order to prevent them from moving elsewhere.

“The whole idea is to come together with our resources and vie for those international companies and try to bring them to the region, instead of getting in a bidding war with other communities,” Koch said.

Dean Rizzo, president of the Quincy Chamber of Commerce, said Boston and Cambridge are running out of space to accommodate the growing biotech industry, leaving T-accessible communities like Quincy and Braintree as natural landing spots for companies.

“We do have the space available, and it’s no secret we’re cheaper than Boston and Cambridge,” Rizzo said, referring to office rental rates.

Rizzo said Quincy currently has about 10 life sciences and biotech companies in the city, most notably Boston Scientific in Marina Bay, Systagenix on Crown Colony Drive and Myriant in West Quincy.

Reach Patrick Ronan at pronan@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @PRonan_Ledger.